I’m Josh Cooperman and this is another episode of Convo By Design featuring Mitch Altman, third-generation CEO of THERMASOL. This is a conversation about multi-functional design for beauty, health, and wellness.
THERMASOL is a family-owned and operated business producing amazing steam shower products for over 60 years. This is the story of a California company now based in Texas and still run by the family that started it all. Mitch Altman is constantly improving the company and that product company is now so much more. THERMASOL is a technology company that provides the tools to turn the shower into an experience, a source for wellness and sanctuary and so much more.
I want you to hear from Mitch, and every month on Convo By Design, THERMASOL will be presenting a new feature on the podcast called, “A Moment of Zen, Designing For Wellness” where we explore new ideas in design with a focus on health, wellness and creating your personal oasis.
Thank you, Mitch, for the time. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your continued support, and thank you for listening to the show, downloading each podcast episode, and engaging through the socials. Make sure you never miss an episode of the podcast, ask Siri to help you, say, “Hey Siri, play Convo By Design podcast.” And she will! Thanks for listening and until next week, keep creating.
For over 50 years, the LaCienega Design Quarter has been a design destination serving LA’s vibrant and extremely talented design community. This design district is special and has seen Los Angeles change from trendy studio town to a global creative powerhouse. For the past 11 years, Legends of LaCienega has been a celebration of design, showcase for amazing design talent and social gathering for anyone who loves design.
In 2019, Convo By Design was represented as an official media sponsor of Legends. I cannot tell you how amazing this was for me and how saddened I was when I learned that because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event was canceled this year. I think what saddens me most is that I personally will miss seeing all my friends and I imagine that many of you listening feel the same way. So, I wanted to take a look back and share some of the amazing designers from last year’s event. My hope is that this gives you a little bit of joy, I will republish this in a series of episodes so you can hear all about the 2019 designs and showrooms whose windows served as the canvas for these amazing designers. I would also like to again remind you how special the LaCienega Design Quarter is and suggest that when this is all over, please go visit the LCDQ showrooms again.
Tom Stringer
Dan Mazzarini
Legaspi Courts
Peti Lau
Alex Papachristidis
Kevin Isbell
Gianetti Home
Patrick Sutton
Brooke Wagner
Bridgid Coulter
That is a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design featuring the amazing creatives who decorated and designed the windows of the LaCienega Design Quarter in 2019. I hope hearing from these creators brings you a little joy and I look forward to Legends of LaCienega returning in 2021.
Thank you LCDQ for having me, thank you, Walker Zanger, for your continued support, and thank you for listening to the show, downloading each podcast episode, and engaging through the socials. Make sure you never miss an episode of the podcast, ask Siri to help you, say, “Hey Siri, play Convo By Design podcast.” And she will! Thanks for listening and until next week, keep creating.
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a special series ofepisodes focused on the COVID – 19 pandemics from a different perspective. You already know about washing your hands and staying at home. But, staying at home has created a whole new set of unforeseen issues. Our homes were not created to serve as home, office, school, restaurant, daycare all at once. This series of episodes is designed to address the fact that most if not all of us are home riding out this pandemic, hopefully, this provides you with some inspiration and makes weathering this a little bit easier.
You are about to hear from an amazing design and an equally exceptional person. Kim Gordon is fearless, strong & sensitive. Her raw approach is refreshing and allowed for an amazing conversation about the idea of home. If this sounds too woo-woo for you, hang on a minute. Think about the idea of home and what you want it to be. It’s different for everyone and yet, there are consistent through lines that allow us to find what that special place means to each of us individually. In this episode, Kim talks about:
Hitting The Reset Button- Time to stop, think, and reassess.
Accept the Tension and Uncertainty- Stop fighting it and learn to live with it.
Time to Focus- This will allow you to rediscover what is truly important.
PLANTS- Kim loves to bring plants into foster relaxation.
Bring the Outside, In- Adding on the idea of plants with outside materials incorporated into the interior design.
What’s That Smell- The smell of home.
Water Feature- With the outside incomes sound with sight and smell.
Be Good to Yourself- That really is the core tenet.
Walk Your Space with a Fresh Look- Leave your preconceived ideas at the door and walk your space for the first time.
Home as Personalized Retreat- This process leads to a reassessment, rediscovery, and finding your personal happy place. A place you never want to leave.
Thank you, Kim for your time and talent. For more about Kim Gordon, please go to Kim Gordon Designs dot com. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your partnership and support of Convo By Design. And thank you for listening, were it not for you, there would be no Convo By Design. We will get through this, together. And until we do, I will keep bringing you the ideas from incredibly talented creatives to make this a little bit better. If you have a question, ideas for a segment or you are a designer that wants to help, please email me at ConvoByDesign@Outlook.com. Take care of yourself and your loved ones.
In 2019, Convo By Design was an official media sponsor of Legends. I cannot tell you how amazing this was for me and how saddened I was when I learned that because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event was canceled this year. I think what saddens me most is that I personally will miss seeing all my friends and I imagine that many of you listening feel the same way.
It has been such a joy sharing these interviews with you. This is the third of four in this series and you have heard from over half of the designers from the 2019 event. I want to invite you to head over to the Convo By Design YouTube channel to see these windows, these showrooms, and these designers.
So, I wanted to take a look back and share some of the amazing designers from last year’s event. My hope is that this gives you a little bit of joy, I will republish this in a series of episodes so you can hear all about the 2019 designs and showrooms whose windows served as the canvas for these amazing designers. I would also like to again remind you how special the LaCienega Design Quarter is and suggest that when this is all over, please go visit the LCDQ showrooms again.
That is a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design featuring the amazing creatives who decorated and designed the windows of the LaCienega Design Quarter in 2019. I hope hearing from these creators brings you a little joy and I look forward to Legends of LaCienega returning in 2021.
Thank you LCDQ for having me, thank you Walker Zanger for your continued support, and thank you for listening to the show, downloading each podcast episode, and engaging through the socials. Make sure you never miss an episode of the podcast, ask Siri to help you, say, “Hey Siri, play Convo By Design podcast.” And she will! Thanks for listening and until next week, keep creating.
Cindy Aplanalp-Yates is the Principal of Chairma Design Group, an award-winning design firm in Houston. Cindy goes into the game a bit later than most. The family came first, then the business. Cindy and I sat down at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas to talk design, trade shows and the uniqueness of Texans which makes designing in Texas so much fun. This is Cindy Aplanalp-Yates.
Thank you, Cindy, that was amazing and I truly appreciate the time. Please subscribe to the show so you catch every episode of Lone Star House of design and Convo By Design, ask Alexa or Siri, say, “Hey Siri, Play Convo By Design” and she will. You can follow the show on the socials as well, @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on Instagram and check out the YouTube channel for videos from some of your favorite episodes. Thank you for listening and until next week, Keep creating.
This is Convo By Design with a special series ofepisodes focused on the COVID-19 pandemic from a different perspective. You already know about washing your hands and staying at home. But, staying at home has created a whole new set of unforeseen issues. Our homes were not created to serve as home, office, school, restaurant, daycare all at once. This series of episodes is designed to address the fact that most if not all of us are home weathering out this pandemic. Our homes were not designed for this and make weathering this a little bit easier.
This conversation with designer and founder of JAB Design Group, Joe Berkowitz. Joe is all about using what you have both creatively and smartly to make your space live bigger, live easier and inspire you. Once you know what you have, remove and add to find your place, and find inspiration. We could all use a little more of that right now.Joe also shares advice for making your spaces more functional, right now.
Thank you, Joe, for your time and talent. For more about Joe and JAB Design Studio, go to J A B Interiors dot com. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your partnership and support of Convo By Design. And thank you for listening, were it not for you, there would be no Convo By Design. We will get through this, together. And until we do, I will keep bringing you the ideas from incredibly talented creatives to make this a little bit better. If you have a question, ideas for a segment or you are a designer that wants to help, please email me at ConvoByDesign@Outlook.com. Take care of yourself and your loved ones.
Use What You Have and Make t Work For You:
Spaces Get Stale – Look for ways to rearrange
Don’t Throw it ALL Out – The art is in the edit, remove what needs to go
Disassemble/ Reevaluate– Take a fresh look at it, what do you want?
20% Rule -Take Away 20% of the Accessories
Don’t Be Afraid of Space – Embrace it
Visual Vocabulary – Find what works for you, now. It can change back later
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is another episode of Convo By Design with an incredible digital resource for any creator, designer or artist who wants to get some new eyes on their work.
The resource is called WESCOVER, you can find them at WESCOVER dot com and you’re about to hear from Allison Murray, Content Director at WESCOVER. This is a digital portal for amazing creative work, they connect people, places and the work.
I spoke with Allison late in 2019 and while editing the piece, I was trying to find the best time on my editorial calendar to share this with you and then things sort of made the choice for me. 2020 stared off great in SoCal design… KBIS in January, Modernism Week in February and then coronavirus happened. The most amazing thing about creative endeavors is that they are an experience to be a part of and to share with others and when something like COVID-19 strikes, it makes the sharing part very difficult. There will most likely be many more canceled events in the spring and possibly summer months. The life’s blood of creative types is the export of work and import of inspiration. This is about connections and finding new sources of inspiration one artist, designer, architect, creator, or podcaster at a time. This is Allison Murray, Content Director of WESCOVER.
That is a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design. Thank you, Allison, for your time. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your generous support of the show and thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. If you haven’t yet, it’s easy. You can find the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts or ask Alexa. Say, “Hey Alexa, play Convo By Design podcast.”, and she will. Until next week, stay healthy and keep creating.
The reason I love doing this podcast as much as I do is because of the amazing people I meet along the way. It’s as simple as that. In this episode of the show you are going to hear from three amazing designers and tremendous people; Michael Berman, Timothy Corrigan, and Genevieve Trousdale. The setting is WestEdge Design Fair and the top is mentorship. I have had the great fortune of interviewing each of them separately but I wanted them on stage so you could hear the story about the connection that binds the three of them together. This is a story about learning, teaching, sharing and collaborating. One of the greatest gifts that come from teaching is what the teacher learns from the student. This is story is very much about that.
That’s a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design. Thank you, Genevieve, Michael, and Timothy. Thank you WestEdge Design Fair for making a public forum possible. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your support and most of all, thank you for listening. Were it not for you, there would be no Convo By Design. Until next week, keep creating.
I started Convo By Design seven years ago because I saw an opportunity to tell the stories of creators, designers, architects, artists, set decorators and others who change the way we live, build and design. I started recording panels and keynotes from West Week, Fall Market, Legends and of course, WestEdge Design Fair. After I started working with WestEdge co-founder’s Troy Hanson and Megan Reilly, the opportunity presented itself to start producing the stage. For two years now, the Convo By Design Programming Lounge has been a place to share new ideas, engage and explore the stories from inside SoCal’s vibrant world of design and architecture.
Rapidly, a new class of creators has emerged. These artisans are taking the industry to the next level through the work as well as through the stories they’re telling and the business they’re building. They are multi-dimensional. I crafted a panel called Rockstars, Rebels, and Raconteurs to showcase some of these unique personalities. This group included designers Lori Dennis andRyan Saghian as well as architect, Jean Brownhill. Consider this a blueprint for success and a roadmap for any new creative endeavor.
This chat was fun and covers a lot of ground so let’s get to it. Here are some of the topics covered:
Who are you? What an interesting question. Do you know? They do.
The next topic is one very near and dear to my heart, it too was covered at WestEdge and you will be hearing about it later this year on the podcast. The topic is mentorship.
The next topic is connections. So important and you’re going to hear why.
You have heard a lot about talk collaborations and you are about to hear more..this is good, really good.
Okay, we have covered a lot of ground here. Identity, mentorship, connections, collaborations… You’re about to hear about fear.Not a topic often addressed but so important. Everyone feels it, but everyone responds differently. Here is how this group of rebels handles their fear.
From fear to drive and you’ll hear how they are connected.
From fear to drive, what could the next subject possibly be but working on the edge…
If you are going to change the business, disrupt or whatever you want to call it, you have to find your niche, locate the need, find the audience looking for what you have to offer.
From finding the need to maintaining momentum. This is a hard one. Making it to the top is one thing, staying there is another…
Finally, it comes down to blazing trailsand doing things differently…
So there you have it for Rockstars, Rebels, and Raconteurs with Lori Dennis, Jean Brownhill, and Ryan Saghian. This is a blueprint for any creator looking to take their game to the next level. Special thanks to Ryan, Jean, and Lori. Thank you, Megan and Troy, thank you Erika Heet for moderating this conversation, thank you, John McClain, Kevin Isbell, Julia Wong and Nicolette Akiko for designing our stage at WestEdge. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your support and thank you for listening, without you, there is no Convo By Design. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Until next week, keep creating.
I found myself at the Design Hardware on 3rd Street in Los Angeles for a conversation on building sustainability, design, and wellness. I don’t think it will surprise anyone to know that there are a growing and distinct link to be made between sustainable design and designing for wellness. The trouble with the conversations around sustainability is that it’s dry, some say dull and it can be. What is truly exciting about the subject though is what happens in the application of sustainable practices. There is, truly a revolution taking place in the design and architecture space. The focus has completely flipped on its head, in a good way. Where many would once talk about how a structure is to be used and lived in, now we talk about how to design and build to serve the people who use that structure. Design is experiential. The experience is what makes it work.
Tract Metro moderates this chat with Maria McCain from the Natural Resources Design Council, Ben Stapleton of the US Green Building Council and Real Estate pro, Erick Zumwalt. This conversation connects the dots between sourcing, sustainable design, property value and how these elements all work together.
Enjoy this conversation recorded live from Design Hardware moderated by designer and TV host, Tracy Metro.
Maria McCain | Natural Resource Defense Council
Maria McCain’s work encompasses the organization’s entire real estate portfolio. McCain analyzes NRDC’s extensive data on waste, water, energy, and travel to develop and implement strategies that minimize the organization’s carbon footprint. These strategies are also applied to internal green construction projects. Overall, McCain values a methodical and integrated approach to solving challenges. She received a master’s degree in environmental monitoring, modeling, and management from King’s College London and a bachelor’s degree in environmental and natural resource economics from West Virginia University. McCain is based in NRDC’s Santa Monica office.
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/maria-mccain
Ben Stapleton | US Green Building Council
A native Angeleno, Stapleton is a recognized sustainability leader, who brings to this position extensive experience and connections across real estate, technology, and innovation. He led major operational growth, program development, and partnerships to triple revenue for the non-profit. Simultaneously, launched and managed the La Kretz Innovation Campus in Downtown Los Angeles, most recently serving as SVP, Operations & Finance for the LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The Campus has become an epicenter for sustainability in the region featuring events with
prominent local, national and international leaders, while being home to a community of cutting-edge businesses and nonprofits.
That’s a wrap on this episode of Convo By Design recorded live from Design Hardware featuring Eric Zumwalt, Ben Stapleton, Maria McCain and of course Tracy Metro. Thank you Design Hardware for hosting and putting on such a great event. Thank you, Walker Zanger, for your generous support and of course, thank you for listening. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the show everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Until next week, Keep creating.
